Veteran who survived sinking of last HMS Prince of Wales relives his fight for survival

A VETERAN who survived the destruction of the last HMS Prince of Wales has relived his battle for survival on the 78th anniversary of the sinking of his old ship.
Veteran Richard Osborne, 95, is greeted by the Prince of Wales.
Picture: Habibur RahmanVeteran Richard Osborne, 95, is greeted by the Prince of Wales.
Picture: Habibur Rahman
Veteran Richard Osborne, 95, is greeted by the Prince of Wales. Picture: Habibur Rahman

Second World War hero Richard Osborne was a boy sailor when the former battleship HMS Prince of Wales was blasted by Japanese torpedo-bombers on December 10, 1941.

The ship went down alongside cruiser HMS Repulse off the coast of Malaya, claiming the lives of about 840 men.

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Now aged 95, the veteran was among the VIPs invited to the commissioning ceremony of the navy’s new aircraft carrier, the eighth to bear the name ‘HMS Prince of Wales’.

Mr Osborne, who was serving on the Second World War battleship’s secondary gun turrets, said: ‘I wasn’t terrified. I knew what the conditions were going to be like.

‘We just had to go about our job. We just had to take it as it came. But when the ship was hit, we had to leave.

‘We had a destroyer that scraped alongside us, it was that close. We had to leap from our ship and onto it to escape. It was a sad time.’

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Also at the ceremony was Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths, 96, who was serving on HMS Repulse with the Australian Navy when it was sunk.

‘People ask me did I see HMS Prince of Wales sink – well, no, I was busy swimming for my life,’ he said.

Both veterans had a chance to meet the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall after the commissioning service on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier.

Mr Osborne, who was a Japanese prisoner of war, added: ‘I didn’t find it overwhelming. Prince Charles was easy to talk to.’

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Rear Adm Griffiths, who flew from his home in Melbourne to attend the ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base, was impressed by the new warship.

‘She is a fantastic ship and will be a tremendous addition to the Royal Navy,’ he said.

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